Half of private renters have faced a rent increase in the last year, it’s claimed. 

Activists in Generation Rent claims of those paying more rent, most were asked to pay over £50 extra.

The group – led by Baroness Alicia Kennedy – says: “After the government acted to cap social rent increases, and improve the terms of Support for Mortgage Interest, private renters remain vulnerable to unaffordable rent increases that could force them out of their homes. Generation Rent is calling on the government to freeze rents, suspend no-fault evictions and link Local Housing Allowance to market rents.”

The survey – which the group says was only of its own supporters, so not a representative sample of tenants – shows that half of supporters who had lived in their home for longer than a year had been asked for a higher rent in the previous 12 months. This is up from July, when 45 per cent of supporters reported the same.

The size of rent increases has also increased, with 46 per cent of supporters’ rent increases worth more than £50 per month, up from 42 per cent in July.

One in five respondents now report that they have cut back on spending in order to pay rent, up from 17 per cent in July.

Generation Rent asked its supporters what reason they were given for their rent increase. The most common answer was “higher market rents” (40 per cent) followed by “cost of living” (19 per cent) and “letting agent advice” (17 per cent). 

The activists claim that despite recent interest rate increases, just 11 per cent of respondents said their landlord had blamed “higher mortgage payments”.

The most common experience for people moving in the past year was being asked for a guarantor, with 41 per cent being asked for this.

Generation Rent is once again calling on the government to freeze rents on existing tenancies, suspend Section 21 evictions, and relink LHA with market rents.

Baroness Kennedy says: “Despite the support package around utility bills, private renters are becoming increasingly anxious about paying their rent. While it is possible to negotiate, renters know in the current climate landlords have them over a barrel. 

“Landlords can ask their tenants to pay the going market rent or use a no-fault eviction to force them into the ultra-competitive lettings market.

“Without emergency government support, renters will face dilemmas which will result in ill-health, as a result of the stress of finding a new home, eating less or turning the heating down.”